I think the wood selection is highly overrated. I heard it said some where and I really agree with it. They said that no matter which woods you select the electronics provide the majority of the sound. I have a LP goth (mahogany/alder) and a squier strat (agathis) and if I posted sound clips, the only difference you could tell between them is the pickups. I choose to work with maple becasue it's easy to work with, a hard wood, and can be used for bodies, necks, and fingerboards, and is also pretty cheap.
that's my .02